Apparatus for drying solutions, emulsions and suspensions and for heat treatment of the dried material



1966 G. R. KOTELNIKOV ET AL 3,289,732

APPARATUS FOR DRYING SOLUTIONS, EMULSIONS AND SUSPENSIONS AND FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF THE DRIED MATERIAL Filed Feb. 6, l964 a 2 e 24 w H H L M Mm M W B 0 w w m mm 4 a r a E a W Wm M l. u v [M F F s i .2 e W L m 4 Z m m V1,," 1 1m WW Q r M a a f 11 u w% E r g E r 5 pa 2 H W m M D em M Em 1 5 r 3 w a m 3 a E e w w T H F p United States Patent APPARATUS FOR DRYING SOLUTIONS, EMUL- SIONS AND SUSPENSIONS AND FUR HEAT TREATMENT OF THE DRIED MATERIAL Georgy Romanovich Kotelnikov, Ivan Romanovich Trokhachev, and Alexandr Nikitich Booshin, .laroslavl, Alexei Vasiljevich Klimin, Leningrad, Stanislav Pavlovich Jablonsky and Jury Nikolaevich Chilihachev, Jaroslavl, Semen Markovich Monozon, Leningrad, Valerian Milihailovich Sobolev and Otar Akalrievich Mkheidze, Jaroslavl, and Vladimir Alexeevich Zigei, Leningrad, all of U.S.S.R., assignors to Nauchno-lssledovatelsliy Institute Monomerov dlja Eintetichesirogo Kauchulra, U.S.S.R., Jaroslavl Tutaevsirofe Chaussee Filed Feb. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 342,958 4 Claims. (Cl. 159-4) This invention relates to the production of powdered and fine-grained materials.

It is known that apparatus for the spray drying of solutions, emulsions and suspensions are used in different branches of industry in order to produce powdered materials. In many cases these materials require additional heat treatment at high temperatures, such as kilning, roasting, et cetra. For this purpose, horizontal ro tary furnaces, arrangements for roasting of powdered material in a fluidized bed, etc, have been used.

All previous methods have the following drawbacks: the use of transporting means for the transfer of the material item the drying apparatus to the roasting arrangements, requirement for dust catching at the stages of drying and roasting, low coeflicient of thermal etliciency, great losses of material, and the considerable space-requirements for equipment installation.

It has been found that the accommodation of both chambers, for the spray drying and for the heat treatment, in one housing eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks, afiordin-g the required effect; moreover, the flue gas from the second chamber, where the material is subjected to heat treatment in a fluidized bed, may be used for the drying of the material in the first chamber.

The drying chamber should be preferably provided with panel gas burners, and a flameless burning of gaseous fuel directly in the fluidized bed of the treated powdered or fine-grained material should be applied.

The object of the present invention is to provide a continuous process of the production of powdered material.

Another object of this invention is to eliminate means for dust catching vand for the transfer of the powdered material between the operations of drying and heat treatment.

This invention also ensures a higher coefiiciency of thermal efficiency by utilizing the hot flue gas [from the heat treatment chamber in the drying chamber.

Among other objects of this invention considerable reduction of space-requirements, as well as that of power consumption and capital expenditure should be noted.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an apparatus according to the invention, and

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

The apparatus for the drying of solutions, emulsions and suspensions and for the heat treatment of the dried material comprises a chamber )1 for spray drying and a chamber 2 for the heat treatment of the dried material.

In the upper part of chamber 1 a fitting 3 is arranged serving for the insertion into the chamber 1 of a centrifugal disc-shaped sprayer or a jet sprayer S for mechanical or pneumatic dispersion of solutions, emulsions or suspensions.

The drying chamber 1 is provided with panel gas burners 4, the number of which depends on the apparatus capacity and the dimensions of chamber 1 (its height and diameter) are larger than those of the chamber 2. The dimensions of chamber 2 are calculated according to the required capacity.

For uniform distribution of the flue gas over the whole section of drying zone 5 in the chamber 1 there is provided a device consisting of two funnels 6 and 7 inserted one into another so as to provide a clearance therebetween. The material from chamber 1 passes into chamber 2 through funnel 7, and the flue gas from chamber 2 passes into chamber 1 through a circular gap 8 between the funnels 6 and 7. In order to simplify the construction the funnel 7 may be eliminated and in such case the material and the flue gas will pass in countercurrent through the funnel 6. Tlhe funnel 7 can be supported from tunnel 6 by spider arms 7b or if desired, similar arms can be extended from tunnel 7 to the housing wall.

The material that has been treated in the upper or drying zone 1 passes through the tunnel or funnels through the outlet 7a and falls on a sieve means 9 that, in effect, separates the upper or drying chamber from the heat treatment chamber. Those particles which are of a size not to pass through the mesh of the sieve are directed by flanges or side walls 9a on the sieve means to outlets 19. This structure is shown in more detail in FIGURE 2. Material of a size to pass through the sieve means will of course gravitate into the lower or heat treatment chamber 2. Thus, the powdered material will fall through the screen, that near the central portion of the housing being received on the guide vanes It that depend beneath the sieve means 9.

The remaining powdered material moves along the inwardly directed vanes 10 into the heat treatment chamber 2, where the material is roasted by flameless burning of the flue gas delivered through fittings 11 in the zone of the fluidized bed.

The air required for fuel burning is delivered in required quantity through fitting 12, air-supply cone 13, and grate 14.

The cflue gas from chamber 1 passes through device 15 to a cleaning system (not shown in the drawing) via outlet 20.

In order to provide uniform roasting of the material, the heat treatment chamber 2 is divided into a row of horizontal sections by screens 16. The number of screens 16 depends on the properties of the processed material.

The treated material is discharged from the apparatus through space 17 defined by the air-supply cone 113 and chamber 2 by means of discharge pipe 18.

The present invention is designed for the production of fineagrain ed and small spheric catalysts used in the synthetic rubber and petrochemical industry.

It should be noted that the present invention ensures drying of solutions, emulsions and suspensions, and full heat treatment of the resulting powdered materials by means of a simple arrangement at maximum utilization of energy and .room and minimum capital expenditure and material losses.

It is therefore clear that the present invention provides an apparatus for drying of solutions, emulsions and liqueforrn suspensions of solids and for the heat treatment of the dried material. This apparatus comprises wall means that define a housing having superposed upper and lower chambers for spray drying material and the heat treatment, respectively. A material supplying sprayer is located within the upper part of the upper chamber. Burner means are associated with the upper chamber below the sprayer. Sieve means are provided above the lower chamber for screening material that is to pass thereinto. Further, dischange means are provided so that any undried material that does not pass through the sieve means can be discharged from the housing. The lower chamber has fluidized gas admitting means in communication therewith in the form of conduits .for supplying (flue gas and an inlet means for combustion supporting air. Above the fluidizing gas admitting means is arranged a plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontal screens. In addition, means are provided within the upper chamber below the sprayer and at a level above the sieve means for unifonmly distributing the gases over substantially the entire cross-section of the upper chamber and means tor discharging the treated material is associated with the lower chamber.

While there have been shown and described the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Such changes and variations are to be considered as falling within the spirit and scope of the invention and the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for drying solutions, emulsions and liquifonm suspensions of sol-ids and for the heat treatment of the dried material, comprising wall means defining a housing having superposed upper and lower chambers for spray drying material and the heat treatment of the dried material, respectively, a spra er located within the upper part of the upper chamber for the introduction of material to be dried and heat treated, burner means in communication with the interior of the upper chamber below said sprayer, sieve means above the lower chamber for screening material passing downwards through the housing before it enters said lower chamber, means for discharging undried material that does not pass through said sieve means, fluidizing gas admitting means in the lower chamber, a plurality of vertically spaced apart horizontal screens within said lower chamber, means within said upper chamber below said sprayer for uniformly distributing the gases from the gas admitting means over the entire area of the upper chamber and means EEO-I discharging the treated material from the lower chamber.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said distributing means comprises a pair of vertically spaced tunnels, with the material from the upper chamber passing through the lowermost funnel and the gases from the lower chamber passing into the space between the lowermost and uppermost tunnels, with the periphery of the uppermost tunnel being attached to the wall of the housmg.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, including an air supply cone within the lower chamber below said screens and a grate positioned between said air supply cone and the lowermost of said screens.

4. An apparatus for drying solutions, emulsions and liquirform suspensions of solids and for the heat treatment of the dried material, comprising wall means defining a housing having superposed upper and lower chambers for spray drying material and the heat treatment of the dried material respectively, sprayer means in communication with the upper part of the upper chamber for introducing the material to be dried and heat treated, burner means in communication with the interior of the upper chamber at a level below said last mentioned means, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal screens within the lower chamber, a grate means within the lower chamber below the lowermost one of said horizontal screens, an inverted conical air supply means depending from said lglrate means and defining a space between it and the grate means, means [for admitting flue gas into the lower chamber at a level below the lowermost one of said horizontal screens, sieve means above the uppermost one of said horizontal screens for screening material passing downwards toward said lower chamber, discharge means associated with said sieve means for discharging material that does not pass through said sieve means, tunnel means mounted within the upper chamber above said sieve means for directing material thereto and further discharge means associated with the lower portion of the lower chamber for the discharge of treated material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,411,603 11/1946 Tyson 23-2883 X 2,431,455 11/1947 Blanding 23-1 2,475,984 7/1949 Owen 34-10 2,541,635 2/1951 Boyer 196-52 2,586,818 2/1952 Harms 159-48 2,635,684 4/1953 Joscelyne 159-48 2,636,555 4/1953 Klepetko et al. 159-4 2,687,633 5/ 3 Strun-k 23-2883 X 2,676,095 4/1954 De Vaney et al. 34-16 8 X 3,002,805 10/1961 Browning et al. 34-10 X FOREIGN PATENTS 145,889 7/ 1962 Russia.

NORMAN YUDKOFF, Primary Examiner.

J. SOFER, Assistant Examiner. 

4. AN APPARATUS FOR DRYING SOLUTIONS, EMULSIONS AND LIQUIFORM SUSPENSIONS OF SOLIDS AND FOR THE HEAT TREATMENT OF THE DRIED MATERIAL, COMPRISING WALL MEANS DEFINING A HOUSING HAVING SUPERPOSED UPPER AND LOWER CHAMBERS FOR SPRAY DRYING MATERIAL AND THE HEAT TREATMENT OF THE DRIED MATERIAL RESPECTIVELY, SPRAYER MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE UPPER PART OF THE UPPER CHAMBER FOR INTRODUCING THE MATERIAL TO BE DRIED AND HEAT TREATED, BURNER MEANS IN COMMINCATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE UPPER CHAMBER AT A LEVEL BELOW SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED HORIZONTAL SCREENS WITHIN THE LOWER CHAMBER, A GRATE MEANS WITHIN THE LOWER CHAMBER BELOW THE LOWERMOST ONE OF SAID HORIZONTAL SCREENS, AN INVERTED CONICAL AIR SUPPLY MEANS DEPENDING FROM SAID GRATE MEANS AND DEFINING A SPACE BETWEEN IT AND THE GRATE MEANS, MEANS FOR ADMITTING FLUE GAS INTO THE LOWER CHAMBER AT A LEVEL BELOW THE LOWERMOST ONE OF SAID HORIZONTAL SCREENS, SIEVE MEANS ABOVE THE UPPERMOST ONE OF SAID HORIZONTAL SCREENS FOR SCREENING MATERIAL PASSING DOWNWARDS TOWARD SAID LOWER CHAMBER, DISCHARGE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SIEVE MEANS FOR DISCHARGING MATERIAL THAT DOES NOT PASS THROUGH SAID SIEVE MEANS, FUNNEL MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN THE UPPER CHAMBER ABOVE SAID SIEVE MEANS FOR DIRECTING MATERIAL THERETO AND FURTHER DISCHARGE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF THE LOWER CHAMBER FOR THE DISCHARGE OF TREATED MATERIAL. 